Marion Raven facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marion Raven
Raven in Thailand (2007)
Background information
Birth name	Marion Elise Ravn
Also known as	Marion Ravn
Born	(1984-05-25) 25 May 1984 (age 41) Lørenskog, Norway
Genres	Pop pop rock post-grunge alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, musician, presenter, voice actress, actress
Years active	1993–present
Labels	EMI Records (1996–1998) Atlantic (1998–2006) Eleven Seven (2006–2010) Playroom Music (2010–2012) Blackbird Music, Sony Music, RCA, Epic (2013–2016) Blackbird Music (Distribution by The Orchard (2013–present)
Associated acts	M2M, Marit Larsen. Meat Loaf, Lisa Miskovsky, Magnus Grønneberg

Marion Elise Ravn (born 25 May 1984), known as Marion Raven, is a singer and songwriter from Norway. She started her music journey in the pop duo M2M with Marit Larsen. After M2M stopped performing in 2002, Marion began a solo career.

She signed with Atlantic Records and released her first solo album, Here I Am, in 2005. Later, she joined the indie label Eleven Seven and re-released some songs from her debut album, plus new ones, on an album called Set Me Free in 2007. In 2013, her second album, Songs from a Blackbird, came out in Norway.

Marion has also written songs for other artists, like Pixie Lott. She has also used her voice for the Norwegian versions of animated movies like Tangled.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Marion Raven was born in Lørenskog, Norway. She has an older brother and two younger sisters. Her last name, Ravn, means "Raven" in Norse, which is why she chose Marion Raven as her stage name.

From a young age, Marion loved to sing and sometimes wrote her own song lyrics. She joined a gospel choir at age 5. At 7, she became part of the St. Laurentius choir. When she was eight, Marion started playing the piano and taking lessons. She also took ballet lessons and performed on stage. In 1993, she acted in the musical "Sound of Music". She also recorded a children's musical with a group called "Vettene". At age 10, Marion performed in stage plays like Bugsy Malone and The Wizard of Oz.

M2M: The Pop Duo

In 1995, Marion's father helped her record a demo with her childhood friend, Marit Larsen. They formed a duo called M2M and signed a record deal with EMI Norway. A year later, they released a children's album. M2M was even nominated for the Norwegian Grammy, called Spellemannprisen.

In 1998, M2M started making pop demos in English. They soon signed a deal with Atlantic Records. They worked with many songwriters and released their first big album, Shades of Purple, in 2000. Their song "Don't Say You Love Me" was even on the soundtrack for Pokémon: The First Movie. This song became very popular, reaching No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Their second album, The Big Room, came out in 2002. After touring to promote it, M2M opened for Jewel on her world tour. M2M later stopped performing together in September 2002.

After M2M, Marion was offered a solo recording contract. She also started writing songs for other artists. She co-wrote "Pointless Relationship" for Australian singer Tammin Sursok. She also helped write "That Day" for Norwegian pop singer Maria Arredondo. Another song she co-wrote was "Disconnected" for Lindsay Lohan's album in 2004.

Solo Career

2005: Here I Am

When Marion Raven signed with Atlantic Records, she began working on her first solo album. She worked with famous songwriters and producers. At first, the record company was unsure about Marion's new rock image and more personal songwriting style. Marion had to work hard to make the rock music she wanted, with a pop twist.

Her album, Here I Am, had 14 songs and showed her change from M2M's pop sound to a more rock-focused style. The album was released in places like Scandinavia, Japan, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

Here I Am had three singles: "End of Me", "Break You", and "Here I Am". "Break You" became her best-selling single around the world. All three songs did well in Asia, where she toured to promote the album. The album was released in Norway on 10 August 2005 and reached No. 6 on the charts.

2006–2007: Set Me Free

In early 2006, Marion Raven left Atlantic Records because of "artistic differences." She then signed with an independent label called Eleven Seven Music.

World Idol winner Kurt Nilsen and Raven performing "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" in 2007.

Marion later sang a duet with rock musician Meat Loaf. The song was "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." It was the first single from Meat Loaf's album Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose in October 2006. The song reached No. 1 in Norway and was in the top ten in Germany and the United Kingdom. Marion then toured with Meat Loaf in Canada and Europe in 2007.

In 2004, she recorded the theme song for the US cartoon series W.I.T.C.H..

Marion announced that her new album would have both new songs and re-recorded ones from her Norwegian debut. This included "Heads Will Roll," which she worked on with American musician Nikki Sixx. This song was released as an EP in October 2006. Before her album Set Me Free came out in March 2007, she toured in The Netherlands, Germany, and the United Kingdom to promote it. She also performed in British schools. Later, she opened for Pink on her I'm Not Dead Tour in Germany. The album was released in June 2007 and had two singles: "Falling Away" and a re-release of "Break You".

2008–2010: Nevermore

In 2008, Marion appeared in the music video for "Saints of Los Angeles" by the band Mötley Crüe. In 2010, she became a judge on the Norwegian TV talent shows The X Factor and later Norwegian Idol.

Marion recorded her third album, Nevermore, in 2009. It was planned for release in 2010. However, due to problems with her record label, it was never officially released. Two singles, "Flesh And Bone" and "Found Someone," were released only in Scandinavia.

2012–2014: Songs from a Blackbird

Raven at the Nordic Media Festival (2013)

Marion released the single "Colors Turn to Grey" in March 2012. In October 2012, she said she was working on new music for an album. In March 2013, she released "The Minute" from her second album, Songs from a Blackbird. This album came out on 5 April 2013 in Norway. It was her first album in eight years and reached No. 3 in Norway. The album was also promoted with a third single, "Driving," and a Norwegian tour in 2013.

International Version

An international version of Songs from a Blackbird was released worldwide in August and October 2014. It included songs from the Norwegian version and three new songs from her Scandal EPs. This version was available physically in some countries and digitally worldwide.

2014–2015: Scandal Vol. 1 and Scandal Vol. 2

In January 2014, Marion announced plans for her third studio album after signing with Sony Music. The album was named Scandal. It was later split into two parts: Scandal Vol. 1 was released on 22 September 2014, and Scandal Vol. 2 came out on 2 February 2015.

2019: Mellom disse 4 vegger

In May 2019, Marion released her first song in Norwegian, "Tyv." In July 2019, "Fritt fall" was released as the second single from her Norwegian-language project. The album, Mellom disse 4 vegger, was released on 11 October 2019. It includes a duet with Magnus Grønneberg.

Personal Life

Marion Raven married professional snowboarder Andreas Wiig in 2013. They later divorced in 2015.

Hver gang vi møtes

Marion Raven was part of the second season of the Norwegian reality TV show Hver gang vi møtes. On this show, different Norwegian music artists perform each other's songs. Other artists on her season included Morten Abel, Ole Paus, Anita Skorgan, Magnus Grønneberg, Kurt Nilsen, and Lene Marlin.

Here are some songs Marion Raven performed on the show:

• "Casanova" (originally by Anita Skorgan)
• "Bullet Me" (originally by Morten Abel)
• "Unforgivable Sinner" (originally by Lene Marlin)
• "Never Easy" (originally by Kurt Nilsen)
• "Når Du Sover" (originally by Magnus Gronneberg)
• "Nerven I Min Sang" (originally by Ole Paus)

Other artists sang Marion's or M2M's songs on the show:

• "Found Someone" Covered by: Lene Marlin
• "For You I'll Die" Covered by: Anita Skorgan
• "Here I Am" Covered by: Magnus Gronneberg
• "Don't Say you Love Me" (originally by M2M) Covered by: Ole Paus
• "Girl In your Dreams" (originally by M2M) Covered by: Morten Abel
• "Everything" (originally by M2M) Covered by: Kurt Nilsen

Other Projects

Marion Raven has written many songs for other artists, including:

• (2004) "Completely In Love" for Tommy Michaelsen's album Completely in Love.
• (2004) "That Day" for Maria Arredondo's album, Not Going Under.
• (2004) "Pointless Relationship" for Tammin Sursok's album, Whatever Will Be.
• (2004) "Disconnected" for Lindsay Lohan's album Speak.
• (2007) "Jack" for Pixie Lott's debut album, Turn It Up.
• (2009) "Forgot His Name" recorded by Tanita Kolsås for X Factor Norway.
• (2009) "It's Not Over" recorded by May Kronfeld (May K).
• (2010) Her song "In Spite of Me" was covered by Erik Grönwall.
• (2011) Marion voiced Rapunzel in the Norwegian version of Disney's movie Tangled.
• (2016) Marion voiced Poppy for the Norwegian version of DreamWorks Animation's movie Trolls.
• (2017) Marion played the role of Eponine in the Norwegian stage production of Les Misérables in Oslo.
• (2017) Marion voiced Rapunzel again for the Norwegian TV series based on Tangled.
• (2024) She was one of the hosts for Melodi Grand Prix 2024, which is Norway's selection show for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Awards and Nominations

• In 2005, Marion was nominated for the Nordic Music Award for her album Here I Am.
• She was nominated for "Best Norwegian Act" at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006.
• In 2015, Marion won the 'Best International Act' award at the "Musik Fach-Awards" 2015. She was also nominated for "Album of the Year" and performed "The Minute" at the ceremony.

Tours

Charity Appearances

• Marion performed at the President Star Charity Concert in Singapore in 2005.
• She performed at the Norwegian Salvation Army, Lillestrøm Charity Concert, and the Pink ribbon Show in Oslo, Norway, in late 2005.
• Marion performed at a UNICEF benefit show in Germany in September 2007 to raise money for Africa.
• She performed with Aleksander Denstad With at the Norwegian "Idol Gives Back" show in December 2007.

Discography

Studio Albums

Singles

Other Appearances

See also

In Spanish: Marion Raven para niños